This is just your typically raging winter 69 raging psychedelia. The Dead reached the peak of the psychedelic sound in January - April 1969, then the material got diluted with country-western and "Americana" some of which appeared on Workingman's Dead, American Beauty, and Skull & Roses. You just can't go wrong in that period.

They waste no time here, immediately delving into the harder stuff with the jump blues number, "Good Mornin' Little Schoolgirl," on which Pigpen just wails on the harmonica, and then Jerry follows on his Gibson. The rest is all close to peak 69, although Dark Star is not quite fully developed yet (best of the year to me is still the Live Dead version from 2/27). The Eleven absolutely scorches, makes me wanna dance even though I have to throw in a quick two-step every 4th beat (it's three 3's and a 2). What happened to the end of it, though? For that, I have to downgrade it to 4 1/2 stars, even though the sound is perfect. Round it up to 5. The sound is fantastic for that period, though as usual, I wish TC were louder.

Loving this time of year. . Primal Dead. Case of content > process. The band is giving each other space to create. Hard to believe that Woodstock was 6 months ahead.
Enjoy as they are making the best of their upper Midwest winter tour. They eventually learn about travel there in February.
Its all good, listening with proper respect and context that this era demands.

Jeez
How can you complain about the sound quality? I guess you weren't around when all we had was multi-generation reel to reel tapes and no dolby noise reduction. I taped my first Dead show off the radio on April 6, 1969 in my dorm room at Stanford using a KLH briefcase FM radio/turntable unit (I believe) and my newly purchased Tandberg R-to-R tape machine and I loved the music and sound quality. Years of listening to music on 8-tracks cartridges followed by cassettes driving a 1968 VW van you became accustomed to hearing the music through/around/over the combined inadequacies of your automotive sound system and road noise. Soon had better audio at home (AR3s - just rebuilt them as AR3as and love the deep bottom sound, Dual turntable, and Dyna pre-amp driving home built dual mono amplifiers) but still loved the live sound of real music played for a crowd. Maybe is was partly because the alternative was AM radio (gag), FM radio - good but not great, and LPs - which CAN produce amazing sound but quickly became dirty and scratched when repeatedly played by a bunch of pot-smoking hippies. Too many CDs today produce over-etched (IMHO) highs that you never hear at a real concert, and most are overproduced pap anyway. When have you been to a show lately where you can really here everything unless it is a string quartet. Live sound systems are dramatically better than they were, but when they set them up they mike every piece of equipment in the drum kit, turn that up too loud, and have to turn everything else up until the wall of sound is just that - and I am not talking of the Dead's Wall of Sound. Outdoors is better, but who can produce perfect sound outdoors for thousands of listeners. This music is wonderful - you just need the right attitude and proper filters on your ears and brain. Stop analyzing (why does that word start with "anal" - does that suggest something?) and LISTEN.

A Pro Jerry mixed show with sound that's understandable of the time, all gripes are off. Jerry's guitar is the focal point of the show, the Gibson SG is the piercing psychedelic light beam that pervades through this short, but wide 7 song sonic journey.

For a burned copy of this show on blank CD-R's (wav. files) email me at youngbutdeadicated@gmail.com

~Stay Dead~

The quality is above average for the period. Remember, it is amazing that tapes even survive of this stuff.

That said, these performances are like liquid gold. Everything from this period is worth checking out. It was a style of playing on this tour that they were trying to nail down in order to record the rest of Live/Dead. In a few short months, they would gradually leave this style as the Workingman's Dead material started to get woven into the repertoire.

But for now, enjoy this psychedelic mayhem. Thanks to all who make these recordings available.

in my opinion, and pretty poor sound.

There are some recording flaws and a heartbreaking cut of the Eleven, but this show is one of the best of early '69. The Dark Star, Eleven, Lovelight and the intense Other One>Cryptical are all among the best of this period...

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Thanks to this archive and the likes of Charlie Miller, we are all spoiled. Sound quaility wise. Back in the day, when we collected tapes (cassettes), sound quality was important, but getting the performances (relatively) uncut was just as, if not more, important. And MOST important of all was getting songs not available on vinyl - like a live performance of Doin' That Rag into The Seven into Good Lovin' (into Saint Stephen into The Eleven). Of course those of you in the know, know I am refering to the amazing concert right here in New York City, on September 29, 1969 at the Cafe au Go-Go. But there are many more examples. So let's travel back in time 36 years, and then we'll leap even further back in time.

It's 1974, you're 17 years old and you've quietly entered the house. It's the wee hours of the morning, and the rest of the family are asleep. It will be several hours till you can sleep, of course, because there are still several hundred micrograms of acid swirling in your brain. So you slip on the headphones, snap in a cassette and press play...lay down in the dark...and are transported back in time. Five whole years! There's no time to whine about the poor sound quality, you're too busy marveling at the miracle of time travel!

I saw a neighbor I haven't seen in ten years the other day. "What happened to the motorcycle?" he asked. "And your hair! You used to have more hair!"

"You lose one," I told him, "and then you lose the other."

We are all time travelers.

lovely! Death Dont Have No Mercy . . . .It sends chills through my spine . . .Its almost like you can feel him lurking in some shadow behind you.

The performance is absolutely smokin', I'll give you that. I will also say that this is not the worst SBD recording I've ever heard, but the quality is lackluster and that cut at the end of the Eleven really hurts. Jerry sounds particularly awe-inspiring--his guitar solos are phenomonal; they're tight, concise and to a point and never lacking in focus like on certain occaisons. But I'd have to agree with the other reviewer; he's too high in the mix and there's very little bottom end, but that really shouldn't hinder the enjoyment of this great show. Musically, it's psychedelic rock at its best.

I liked the snide remark about "LOUIE LOUIE" in the tunings (track #2) and the micro version of the song. It's also a pleasure to hear Pigpen to do the old Bobby Bland song "Turn On Your Lovelight."

A tip of da hat to Blocko de Jester for da heads up!

...this is a must-have. Jerry is amp'd. But they're not. He's almost the entire range. Though an excellent performance this decent soundboard suffers from a very uneven and in some places poor mix. Generally, there's hardly any definition to the bottom end in the dynamic range of the rhythm section to drive what you just know is so there--it's clipped, damp--kind of impressionistic to be generous. There's a not-too-bad splice in GMLSG. The cut in The Eleven is a quick fade jussst after an excellent rave-up releasing to the bridge. Ouch. The TIFTOO Suite bites very apocalyptic & Pigpen closes the deal as usual--sweaty. Good to have if you've got a disc but maybe not to hold too dear on you hd. If you like this don't miss the Stanley Theatre shows a few days later. Great stuff & much better quality.

I listened to this show last night for the first time while walking across the Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn into Manhattan. It reawakened me into what the Dead were all about. Jerry begins the show by making some snide comments about the audience and then the tension flies into some sort of otherworldly experience for the band and you are invited along for the ride. One of the best I've heard.

listen to this show in its entirety.......download it.....69 .......jerry an dthe band are cookin....driving while listening may result in takeoff.....good luck on your landing and have a save flight

No! Go sample the Eleven first, THEN the rest of it ;) Seriously, don't be driving during this one-- Garcia's guitar work will take you right off the road. Typical 1969, and then some.

I am really enjoying this show... Especially "Dark Star", which is rife with inspired and exploratory guitar solos.

Sample that one. Then get the rest of it.